Dune (Dune #1) by Frank Herbert

Our hero’s father, Duke Leto, has to move, as per the directive of a sadistic emperor, to a desert planet with his family to oversee the mining of a very valuable spice, a job that was solely the enemy family’s.

The movie hype was a lot. So I decided, upon learning of the impending release, that there was a book to read.

It has a futuristic plot, where entire planets are as parcels of land owned by an emperor and given to ‘persons of rank’ to oversee. Much like what the European monarchy seems to have (had), down to the blood relationships that exist between peers.

Apparently, there is a lot of biotechnology going on, where humans have been selectively bred for brainpower to create some sort of superhuman with enough mental powers to be near-omniscient, the Kwisatz Haderach.

The book opens with an exposure to the harshness of reality that seems to be the characteristic theme of the worlds it is set in. The protagonist seems to have no respite from a destiny designed for him by the Bene Gesserit, who wants him to fail. Conceived in love, born into nobility and a decades-old family feud, viewed as a disappointment to those who hoped he’d be born a girl, he is already troubled by dreams he knows are a prophecy.

The story gets drier literarily. Our hero’s father, Duke Leto, has to move, as per the directive of a sadistic emperor, to a desert planet with his family to oversee the mining of a very valuable spice, a job that was solely the enemy family’s.

From here, every page turned seems to dry out my throat. It doesn’t help that we are experiencing harmattan. You will need cups of cold water to cool down.

The inter-family feud culminates in the death of Leto through treachery. Our hero and his mother escape by a great deal of luck, although since a lot of Leto’s retainers survived, I’m less sure only the Duke wasn’t the target. This triggers the whole forging of the blade of destiny feeling I got from that point. I think the sun’s heat also had to do with this forging because…phew.

The book also starts to read like a gross guide to desert survival. There’s just something about the desert that dries out the milk of human kindness along with the moisture in the air and bodies. I could have done without the body draining for moisture information, though. 🤢🤢.

Paul becomes a fugitive, lives with desert natives, adopts a name, learns the ways of the desert, masters his powers of prescience that the spice of Arrakis seems to aggravate, passes some rites, and even becomes a leader, all part of fulfilling one prophecy.

The book follows an already used note of progression, and it borders on bland. Every character seems a pawn of the Bene Gesserit, who seem to have an amazing ability to adapt to deviations to their centuries-old plans. Expectedly, Paul doesn’t play along in the end. It is refreshing to know they were stumped by Paul’s 2-year-old little sister, who ironically seems to have more of the brainpower they sought.

The circumstances of her birth are interesting. They, unfortunately, call her a freak. She’s also the one who kills the Baron, the grossly fat head of the enemy family possessing levels of deviousness. The dark elves of Menzoberranzan would applaud, who is their maternal grandfather – and happens to prefer boys (snicker).

Interesting book only as far as the desert reclamation efforts highlighted, and perhaps scale – why not use planets rather than continents?